BT trialling 10-gigabit per second broadband in Cornwall

Proof of concept tests underway

Fed up of your paltry 2Mbps internet connection? You may want to look for a job at Cornwall-based Arcol UK, where BT is currently testing 10Gbps connectivity.

BT has begun the first real world test of new broadband technology that enables download speeds of 10-gigabit per second.

The new XGPON technology, developed in association with Chinese manufacturer ZTE, enables much faster connectivity on BT's existing fibre-optic broadband lines.

The first company to test the XGPON (which stands for Tens of Gibabits on a Passive Optical Network) tech is Cornwall-based electronics company Arcol UK Ltd, which already has access to 330Mbps download speeds.

The 10Gbps connectivity, the Telegraph reports, operates in tandem and on the same lines as the 330Mbps connection.

Ranulf Scarbrough, BT's Programme Director for the Superfast Cornwall initiative, says the proof-of-concept tests will showcase how much faster speeds can be harnessed through existing broadband infrastructure.

He said: "What is exciting about this trial is that these hyper-fast speeds have been obtained over the exactly the same fibre that carries BT’s fibre broadband services today. All we are doing is changing the electronics at either end.

“This trial shows we are thinking and ready for the future even though there are no current plans to deploy this technology. A lot of this project is about future proofing – making sure that it’s not just the fastest speeds today but that we can continue to be at the cutting edge for five, ten, twenty years.”